Abortion Law Exceptions Are “Compassionate”?

Your article “What Choice?” mentions abortion laws that have exceptions “to protect life of the mother”. These laws are perceived as compassionate. However, they often require a woman be in imminent danger of death in order to qualify for an abortion. I’ve cared for a mother of three with a 90% risk of death if she continued her pregnancy. Despite facing the real possibility of leaving her children motherless, this patient would not have qualified for an abortion under most of the clauses meant “to protect the life of the mother”. Laws that restrict abortion, even when they contain exceptions, can leave a dangerous and unconscionable gap in compassionate health care.